What Vegans Eat: Tea Party Picnic

Because people sometimes get the idea it’s hard to be vegan and still have a fun social life, I’d like to occasionally share with you What Vegans Eat at various social events.

My mom got us tickets to the Picnic Pops Music of David Bowie concert for my birthday. The Picnic Pops are held at a ski area during the summer months. You can get general admission tickets and sit out on the hill, or pay extra to get reserved seats at the picnic tables in front of the stage. We got the reserved seats and I LOVE picnics, but then I realized…the concert was August 2. During the Dormition Fast. I’m vegan all year anyway, but strict fasting days for me also means eliminating oil. Could we pull off a vegan & oil free picnic spread?

Yup. Here’s what vegans eat at a tea-less tea party inspired picnic (full disclosure: my mom grabbed the vegan cupcakes from her freezer, they were made for another occasion and probably contained oil. I decided to accept the hospitality, but I do have an awesome oil free cake recipe I’ll share soon!)

I made little tea sandwiches with Italian bread I found at Dollar Tree (yes!! – take & bake bread for $1!) and homemade Cashew Basil Pesto topped with fresh spearmint and cucumber – I’ll post the pesto recipe tomorrow. Mom made raw seed crackers, and we topped half with my Coconut Milk Cheese and half with an experimental lentil spread I’m perfecting. And did you know Rose of Sharon is edible? We didn’t eat those flowers, but we could have. (Orange Trumpet Flowers not edible)

Mom also made this Spinach & Sun Dried Tomato Vegan Quiche, and bruschetta. In the top picture you can see a champagne glass filled with chickpea salad – also made by mom. I cannot give you a recipe but she basically threw in all the wild greens from her garden along with homemade fermented veggies, and mixed it all with a tahini sauce.

Multiple people commented on the beauty and splendor of our picnic spread, and in the end we actually enjoyed it more than the concert. So you see, it is possible to live a normal, happy life, eat good food, have fun, and Be Vegan.